it was here a short time ago that i spoke with the daughter of principal dawn hochsprung and her fiance. they said to me, we hope something good can come of this tragedy. well, this morning, there is movement on two political fronts. first, more lawmakers are speaking up about the need to do something about guns. including senate majority leader. >> it's my responsibility to keep the most vulnerable and precious resource safe, our children. everything resource should be on the table do how do to just that. >> "the washington post" reports that the president will put vice president biden in charge of the push to start this violence. biden met with the president along with education secretary arne duncan, eric hold and kathleen sebelius to try to formulate a plan. at the same time, perhaps moved by the national move, another plan seems it's taking shape. the deal to stop us from going

over the fiscal cliff. speaker boehner and the preside president at the white house. now, the president supports raising taxes on people earning more than $400,000 a year. i want to bring in "washington post" columnist ruth marcus and the national journalist chris freisz. there's a lot owing on, assault weapons ban and the gun show loophole. do you think they're going to take this, how are they likely to approach this? >> well, i think the vice president say very good choice to lead this because of course he was the chairman of the senate judiciary where this legislation goes through for many years. and so he understands a little bit of what's politically

possible or, let's cross our fingers, what might hopefully be politically possible in the aftermath of the tragedy. i think one thing that's really important is to seize the moment. we have this tendency to lose our zeal and to let things slide. and i think -- i wish i could suggest that we would tie the cliff to gun control legislation. i think that's a bridge too far for republicans, and especially house republicans. but i'd love for us to find a way to seize the momentum to at least restore the assault weapons ban and the ban on high-capacity magazines. >> if you look at the raw numbers they've changed quite a bit. this is a nbc "washington post" poll. 54% favor stricter gun control laws and 59% support banning high-capacity magazines. we heard from joe manchin and joe warner, both with a-ratings with the nra.

to ruth's point, chris, is there a chance that republicans could help to move them as well? >> well, i think so. i think we have seen that on the fiscal cliff issue. and the feeling here at the capitol, i've put the question to them and said, if gabby giffords, a congresswoman one of your own was almost fatally shot, and congress didn't react on gun control, what has to happen after this new event? this has changed the tenor. i was talking to a democratic leadership aide to made that point and also made the point when you have harry reid, if you remember in 2010, a tough re-election. the nra king just short of stopping him saying he was a friend of the second amendment. you have joe manchin and now mark warner. those are moderate democrats. they help bring republicans on

board. maybe we would see movement. >> i want to bring in congressman yarmouth. >> good morning, chris. >> yesterday, you apologized for being silent on the issue for the last six years. what specifically do you think can get done now? or do you want to see now, reinstatement of the high-capacity magazines, or even what's been called the holy grail by the brady campaign closing those gun show loopholes? >> all of the above. certainly, in my state, we have a large number of gun shows. we have large number of regulated gun sales and those things do need to be subject to the background check so i'm in favor of all of those steps. and i really applaud the president for taking this multidirectional approach to it. because our educational system certainly is part of the ultimate solution to gun violence. and so is the health care system. so this is really the kind of broad discussion that we ought to be having.

>> you said you will co-sponsor legislation in the 113th congress to ban assault weapons. but let me play for you what utah congressman jason chafie, the republican said on "today" show this morning. >> i want an open mind. we did haven't assault weapons band for ten years. the crime rate was going down before. the crime rate when lifted continued to go down. assault weapons accounted for less than 2% of the murders in this country. >> what's your strategy, how do you convince republican colleagues to get on board, congressman? >> well, i think it's probably not going to be any of us convincing each other. i think the tenor, the word that you used just a minute ago, that your correspondent did, is absolutely right. nobody in congress, republican or democrat, wants to feel the way we feel now which is the absolute pain of watching those faces of little children who have died.

no american wants to feel that way again. and we all know that banning assault weapons is not going to stop every gun crime. not going to stop every incident like this. but it makes a statement. and it makes a statement that these kinds of weapons. this kind of mind-set that would even admit to their feasibility or their appropriateness is not appropriate. you know. dick's sporting goods, i understand, made an announcement that they're not going to sell assault weapons in any of their stores. that's the kind of change and attitude and mind-set that i think we can all help promote. and that's why i'm -- i was so determined not to remain silent anymore. we do need to change minds in order to change the situation. >> on the house floor, we saw this last night, there was a moment of silence to honor the victims. the headlines in "the new york times" today, i think to your point, "after tragedy

partisanship may cool a bit." it does seem that the president and john boehner are closer to a deal. do you think this tragedy may soften the issues, not related to guns, but issues like that that may be related to this terrible tragedy, but maybe to the fiscal cliff negotiations? >> i think it could have that side benefit. i think no one wants to appear petty at this moment because the situation that you're reporting on so well is so grave and so sad. so thing that can help bring us together will -- is beneficial. and i think that the tone is definitely changing up here. i had a conversation with a republican from my state, it was a private conversation, so i won't say the name. he's an a-rated nra supporter. and he said, the president's right. we need to do something. those kind of conversations, i think, are going to become much more frequent as the days and

weeks go by. >> congressman john yarmuth, thank you for taking the time to talk to us. >> thank you, chris. >> so, ruth, how close do you think we are to a deal? we had said at the top, they are close to saying tax rates on those who make $400,000 a year. now we're hearing reporting from the hill that john boehner is telling them he'll introduce a plan for extend tax rates for those making $1 million or more a year. what are you hearing, what's happening? >> well, i think we're really a lot closer. i think we'll know a little bit better after the speaker has a chance to talk to his conference today and sort of get the temperature of what's acceptable. i think congressman yarmuth used a very apt word when he talked about "petty." the pettiness of these divisions people are going to follow this terrible -- i don't want to use a bad analogy, people are going

to fall on their sword about 400,000, or 600,000, in terms of asking people to raise more money. so i think that there are very, very encouraging signs of movement on both sides, both from republicans with tax rates, from the white house with talk about touching social security, cost of living adjustments, in addition to other cost of living adjustments, something that makes a lot of sense if done properly. so maybe there's a little glimmer of good news. and pettiness diminishing in this terrible tragedy. >> well, we are going to find out some things that are happening right now, john bain a john boehner is in with his caucus and the microphones are set up and we expect him sometime soon to make a statement. in the mean ketimemeantime, chr a sense of what you're hearing, is there a chance this is going

to get done? >> well, chris, when i talked to the speaker before he went into his meeting today, i asked him kind of what he was expecting. certainly, this is a tough sale for the speaker. he joked with me, and he said, going to be fun and he kind of rolled his eyes. i think what he unveiled in that meeting was a plan "b," where they would pass the senate bill which would raise taxes on people over -- who are making over $1 million in order to ensure that tax rates don't go up on everybody. and that was an interesting tactical move by the speaker. because last night, we the white house, as you talked about, counter with $400,000. and republicans still don't see a whole lot of spending cuts on the table. what they'd like to do with this latest move, this plan "b," as it's being called, move the white house toward spending cuts by indicating they have a fallback plan if these negotiations don't work out. >> you know, one of the

questions, ruth, a lot of people having asking, the softening of hearts, whether on the fiscal cliff or gun control sort of hans an expiration date. dana bellbank wrote from "the washington post," there's only one problem from the deadline with gun control, the weeks almost every come. it's nice to be deliberate and thoughtful and it's particularly difficult to act quickly now a week before christmas and with the fiscal cliff talks consumes the political world. do you think this needs to happen quicker? >> i think quicker is better. i'm sorry, was chris talking? >> ruth. >> sorry. quicker is better for the obviously reasons. but i think there are ways, because it will be very, very difficult to get a lift this heavy done. in this lame duck session. possibly in the beginning part of next year's congress. but i also think that members of congress need to know if they're

going -- just to use the cliff analogy, if they're going to jump off the gun control cliff. that they're not endangering their political future. and so one of the things that i thought was very interesting in the 2012 election, was mayor bloomberg put millions of dollars into efforts to help some -- defeat some gun control opponents. to elect some gun control advocates. some of that was successful. if members knew there was a super pac that would help them fend off the nra, maybe some of those swing democrats that we talked about. maybe some of the wobbly republicans could have a little bit more bravery to go -- political bravery to go with their hearts and be able to do the right are thing. i think that would be an interesting development. >> ruth marcus, chris frates, thank you both. we're very relieved that richard engel and his crew were freed

overnight after a firefight in syria. this morning on "today" show, engle said the ordeal was very traumatic. >> they kept us blind folded. bound. we weren't physically beaten or tortured. it was a lot of psychological tort fewer. torture. threats of being killed. they made us choose which one would be shot first. when we refused, there were mock shootings. engle and his two crew members are now safely out of syria. we'll be right back. new jammin jerk chicken soup has tasty pieces of chicken with rice and beans. hmmm. for giant hunger! thanks mom! see ya! whoaa...oops! mom? i'm ok. grandma? hi sweetie! she operates the head. [ male announcer ] campbell's chunky soup. it fills you up right. she operates the head.

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we are back live in newtown, connecticut. and students in the school district here are going back to class today, all except for the kids at sandy hook elementary. for the next few days, they'll continue to bury their

classmates and teachers. now, we are going to go live to john boehner who just came out of a meeting with his caucus. >> what we've offered meets the 26 of balance, but the president is not very there. white house offered yesterday essentially $1.3 trillion in new revenues for only $850 billion in net spending reductions. that's not balanced. in my opinion. so at the same time, we're going to continue to talk with the president, we're going to also move plan "b." i think we all know that every income tax filer in america is going to pay higher rates come january 1st until congress acts. so i believe it's important that we protect as many american taxpayers as we can. and our plan "b," would protect the american taxpayers who make $1 million or less and have all

of their current rates extended. i continue to have hope that we can reach a broader agreement with the white house. that would reduce spending as well as have revenues on the table. i think it would be better for our country. but at this point, having a backup plan to make sure that few american taxpayers are affected by this increase as possible, moving down that path, is the right course of action for us. >> good morning, first i'd like to say that i think all of our hearts and prayers are with the families in newtown, connecticut. as a father, i cannot even imagine the utter horror that those families are going through right now, grieving the loss of their children and their loved ones. as far as the fiscal cliff is concerned, as the speaker has said, we remain committed to

trying to minimize the impact on hard-working families and small businesses. in this country, as far as tax increases are concerned. we look to find the answer to solve the problem on the spending issue, here in washington. the president is not yet there. he has not come to where he needs to be, in order for us to push through a bill that really does begin to address the problem. and as a speaker said, that's why we are now discussing an alternative plan, if the president and the white house, cannot come our way. thank you. >> and owe eric cantor and speaker boehner talking about what we had mentioned at the top. hour that they are having a plan "b" that would make sure these tax rates stay down for anyone making less than $1 million a year. in the meantime, as i just reported, students here in at newtown, connecticut, are going back to class today, but not

those at sandy hook elementary. they have been burying their classmates and teachers. 6-year-old jessica rekos would be laid to rest today. her family said she loved horses and they promised she could have her own when she reached 10. she asked santa for cowgirl boots and hat. we learned this morning, principal dawn hochsprung wrote her daughters letters just because. she read one on the "today" show. >> my dearest erica, you are and forever will be my sweet baby girl. you possess a piece of my heart and soul, and i will never be complete without you. remember this in your darkest times, you are never alone. your mom. be safe, be well, be happy. no one deserves it more. >> erica and her fiance told me her mom would want to tell people this morning, read a book

to or with a child. joining me now, pastor rocky beach. he's pastor at connections church here in newtown. thank you for being here. you have a little bit too much experience with this because you're also counseling people in littleton, colorado. when i was talking to erica and other people, it always amazes me that somehow people find strength and they want to have a positive message come out of something so horrible. what's your experience here, these last few days? how are people coping? >> well, i think it's shocking for everyone. now that the funerals are started. at least you're taking a first step towards some of the closure that people need. having been in denver before, during columbine, my family, my church and everything, we're just happy to be here to be able to help some of those people. >> you know, one of the questions that a lot of folks always want the answer to is why. i know investigators have been using search warrants to get medical records from the shooter

to see if he was being treated for medical or psychiatric disorder. i'm wondering, if your experience, is that critical to the healing process, to try to make some real sense of how this could have happened? >> yeah, well, i'm not a professional in that area. but i would say, sure. i mean, i'm a father and i have five daughters, so i see some of the -- see what some of the parents are going through. i just think anything would help. that's got to be part of it. >> connecticut's governor is asking for a moment of silence at 9:30 on friday. he's asking for religious facilities to bring their bells 26 times honor each of the victims at that school. in times like this, so many people do obviously turn to their faith. the churches have been to overflowing. do you also get questions about how could a loving god let something like this happen? >> yeah, i think that's the probably the number one question you that get right now. i think if every person is honest, i'm a christian, i'm a

pastor, we even have those questions sometimes. like president obama said the other day, we're dealing not only with the seen one but the unseen one. as a spiritual leader, my job is to look to people and he's the ultimate first responder. jesus promised to never leave us alone so we can turn to him. i just help people turn to him. in turning to him, i know they're going to find the hope and help that they need. >> we all know we want the families to have help. beside us, all night. 11:30 last night, we were here. there's still people coming. not just from this area. people are coming from all over. they want to reach out and help. what would you say to people who want to do something and they just don't know what to do. >> yeah. well, this is a great thing to do. i'd say another one is to be out there, to be available for people that might need to talk to you. i think prayer's the greatest

thing. jesus is a great first responder. he's also a great therapist. so talk to him. i know if i can lead people in that direction, they'll find what they need. they'll find help and comfort. >> pastor rocky veitch, i know this is difficult for you, having been through it before. thank you for taking the time. good luck to you. the second longest serving senator in history is being remembered as a war hero. congressman daniel inouye died at the age of 88 yesterday. he served as the chairman of the declarations committee and the senate pro tem. the senate named for patrick leahy to replace him. he'll be sworn in an hour from now. inouye said his final word was aloha. [ woman ] ring. ring. progresso.

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we have seen a lot of tributes to the victims of the shooting here in newtown. this one last night was so moving, we thought it was worth showing in case you missed it. ♪ hallelujah hallelujah hallelujah ♪ >> the coaches and artists from "the voice" held up the names of the victims while they sang a very powerful version of "hallelujah." if you'd like to see the whole thing it's up on our facebook page at facebook/jansingco. ♪ hallelujah hallelujah ♪ it's so important to make someone happy ♪

when you give a child a toy, it has to work. ♪ make just one someone happy and when it's a toys for tots child, well, what could be more important? so this year, every hasbro toy donated to toys for tots will be powered by duracell. happy holidays. duracell with duralock. trusted everywhere. two capitol hill where south carolina congressman tim scott will become part of the changing face of the new senate.

south carolina governor nikki haley appointed scott to replace the retiring jim demint. scott will be the first black senator from the deep south since reconstruction, and the only african-american senator currently serving. >> the future is incredibly bright for america. we have our challenges. we have things that we have to overcome. but, boy, does the future look great in south carolina. >> so what does the future hold for the senate which we'll see 13 additional newcomers. will it actually get things done? >> let's bring in republican strategist and former santorum adviser jim brenburger. and steve, let me start with you. the congressman is going to be among five new republicans, including five women.

>> first of all, the new senator is actually very conservative. and i think that's good for the party because i think in the most recent elections, we lost sight of the fact that we have to talk to a lot of constituencies. we don't always represent all the people that we should. by bringing in somebody who is not only african-american, but conservative african-american, it gives us a new messenger, and i think that's very, very important to our party. >> well, in both houses, steve, you have a changing demographic. more women as members of congress. more members born in the '80s. you have this dynamics, this emotion from newtown infusing the entire nation. what do you think the cumulative impact might be? >> well, i hope when we start the new congress in january, assuming that we've dealt with the fiscal issues before then, that people will start afresh. in both bodies you have

congresses that look more like america than it did. every year, it gets more women, more minorities. and i also hope that people look at what happened in connecticut, maybe we ought to come together and do something and not have some of the partisan bickering that we've had over other issues. i think there's a general consensus growing that we need to do something about the issues that the connecticut tragedy has brought fourth. >> and let me ask you again, john, because i don't think we actually got the answer, do you think that, in spite of the fact, that, for example, senator-elect scott is more conservative, that change is coming, particularly on the issues that have come out of this tragedy? >> well, first of all, i think that this entire nation is mourning. and we need to go through that grieving process. and allow that to happen. and then i do think we need to move rapidly, the dialogue on a number of areas. certainly, there's going to be those who want to talk immediately about gun control and gun legislation. and i think that our party has a

responsibility to be part of that discussion. but i also think we have to look at things like mental illness. and their rights. and how do we make sure that guns are not thrown into the wrong hands. i think we have to look at school safety and, frankly, we have to look at the culture that promotes violence and say, are we making mistakes there and do we need to change in that area as well. i think there's a lot of areas that we need to have a national debate and dialogue and i think republicans need to be aggressive in being part of that discussion. >> well, steve, do you think that part of the problem for those who have looked at this as an opportunity to make change, and look at the polls, frankly, that have changed dramatically and show more and more persons want things to change, the fact that those polls don't reflect what's bowing on in individual, conservative congressional districts? >> well, that's always been a problem. but i've got to say, i think the time for talking and having a

national dialogue is over. i think we need to have some action, and i think voters are going to demand that. i think when the new congress comes, that's plenty of time to have thought about it. but in january, we need to see leadership like we've seen from the president. we need to see more leadership from him. we need to hear from people like mayor bloomberg who have spoken out and stop talking about it and reflecting about this and we need to take action. >> steve and john, gentlemen, thank you for being with us. making news this morning, after learning that two teachers survived the attack in newtown. the newtown newspaper is reporting that one of them is natalie hammond. she also reportedly ran towards the gunman with the school principal and psychologist, but was able to crawl behind the door after being shot in the foot, leg and hand. there is a shortage of flowers in the area. florists are having additional

flowers expedited. overseas, jalal talabani is said to be hospitalized right now. an official said talabani fainted on monday and remains unconscious. uncertainty for iraq's future. a federal judge refused to ban the sales of three samsung smartphones. that comes from the recent decision that samsung phones illegally used software from rival apple. the judge said monday apple's demands to ban the phone altogether was too broad a punishme punishment. well, hollywood today is reacting to the horror that unfolded in connecticut. disclaimers are being added before violent television shows. a screening in new york for the

movie. and so is "django unchanged. jamie foxx is saying "we cannot turn our back and say that violence in films or anything that we do doesn't have a sort of influence. it does." we have seen this reaction before after a violent incident. is this time different? >> this time is different for the whole country. there's nobody who's not feeling this. the age and just the horrific nature of what happened. the sheer volume. and frankly the fact that we're so close to new york city and it's become such a media circus out here. but people feel it in their hearts and hollywood feels very, very deeply. and i there's a lot of discussion going on. >> part of that discussion descenting. an executive for one

entertainment companies jones said this, there's no way to honestly and intelligently scrape goat anyone when we seek blame for tragedy. demonizing the entertainment industry because of a man man that was disturbed is not the solution." what about that? >> i think we're not going to see less violence in movies and video games because of this. but i think we'll see a difference, actors are going to make personal decisions and say this isn't right for he. i think we'll see warnings in front of movies. but absolutely, most importantly, is this a teachable moment for parents to look at their kids' entertainment. because that's the ultimate place that kids get it in the home. say what video game are you playing. >> there always is this debate. what is the responsibility of the industry? what is the responsibility of parents? does one exclude the other? >> you know, we aren't going to make violence go away. the video games are out there. the films are out there. if we stop making anything knew today forward, the product is already out there so then the

responsibility really is the parents' to know what they're doing. i've looked at some of these video games. they're horrific, for me. other people can make choices. and well adjusted kids can probably play them and be fine. clearly, some kids can't deal with it and the parents have to know. >> you have a unique perspective on this, not only have you been around hollywood for a long time but also you helped counsel the family of cristina green and she was the young girl shot and killed in the tucson shooting two years ago. how do you even begin to help a family? >> i actually have three families who are the victims of gunshot violence. and you listen. i always call myself publicist/rabbi/shvin publicist/rabbi/shrink. you have to listen. you have to be strong. you have to understand where they're at. some families want to go and hide. some families want to get out there and talk about what they went through.

we've seen roxana green, christina taylor-green's mother on a number of shows talking, trying to be empathetic, but she's also working towards solution. and i think that's hugely important. take what's in the heart and put it out to the world. >> i think you're right. people are feeling this almost any other way than a tragedy we've experienced in this country. but i still get a lot of e-mails from people asking me what's it-t like. it's very difficult to put into words. you just got here. and i'm wondering what your visceral reaction has been? >> i'm trying to keep from crying. i really am. we just saw a couple minutes ago. i see the parents with their arms wrapped around their children. >> all day long, bringing children here. families coming here to this memorial. >> if we don't take this most

horrific thing that happened and turn it into something good and try to make a difference, then this moment is lost. and that's the real tragedy for me. >> howard bragman. thank you so much. appreciate you coming to town. everywhere in newtown, signs and memorials remind us of the lives lost friday. coming up, we will take a look at a shrine that grew under the christmas tree here in the center of town. ar guy with an irregular heartbeat. the usual, bob? not today. [ male announcer ] bob has afib: atrial fibrillation not caused by a heart valve problem, a condition that puts him at greater risk for a stroke. [ gps ] turn left. i don't think so. [ male announcer ] for years, bob took warfarin, and made a monthly trip to the clinic to get his blood tested. but not anymore. bob's doctor recommended a different option: once-a-day xarelto®. xarelto® is the first and only once-a-day prescription blood thinner for patients with afib not caused by a heart valve problem,

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i'd like to thank eating right, whole grain, multigrain cheerios! mom, are those my jeans? [ female announcer ] people who choose more whole grain tend to weigh less than those who don't. multigrain cheerios how do you turn outrage into action? the tragic loss of life here in newtown, connecticut, has sparked a flurry of social media activity since friday's mass shootings around 175,000 people have signed a petition on the white house's "we the people" site calling for gun legislation. on twitter, people are calling for call for ann curry's 26 acts

of kindness. eric, good of you to be with us. we have seen this before, especially in recent years. this flood of social media reaction to disaster or tragedy. it does, shthough, as i was discussing with howard seem different. instead of people just expressing their outrage, they're actually trying to do something. do you think social media as a real catalyst this time? >> well, as we discussed before, the obama administration has made social media part of the landscape with this incredible tragedy that is incredible emotional for the whole world. social media is important for moving dialogue forward. it's very difficult to see anything good we'll we're all in this period of mourning. it's quite tragic. >> it is. in the meantime, the nra has

been silent since the tragedy unfolded. took down its facebook page. it has not tweeted since thursday. what's the strategy behind that, do you think? >> well, the nra did exactly what they needed to do. they had to do. the nra can't -- they can't say anything now. they can't -- you know, they can't whisper a word without getting slammed by anybody. you so, the politicians, too, nobody is going to say anything that doesn't fit with the sentiment of the country right now. that's grieving. >> you know, part of the grieving process has been done on social media now. and i've heard from the people of this community how much it's helped to see tweets that people have sent to them. in some cases, in the case of one of the daughters of victim this morning, she said she's gotten thousands. thousands. there's a dark side, though. connecticut state police are saying they are looking to arrest people who have posted misinformation about the

shootings. impersonating the shooter and investigators. it seems unfathomable that one would want to add to the heartache. my question is, how easy for someone to do that and how complicated is it for police to prosecutor that? >> it is unfathomable. it's not understandable. people don't know that impedes the investigation. the state police in connecticut have done an incredible job of both doing an investigation, letting the public know information that we can know when we can know it. but they make it very clear, that if you didn't hear it on the microphones, in front of the lieutenant, then it's not a fact. unfortunately, there's an enormous amount of misinformation. and it's truly an ununderstandable. people need to know, digital

fingerprints are all over the place. you need to be caught. if there is time, we have bigger issues to deal with, if there is time, you will be caught. it's absurd and awful, awful thing to see. >> the overwhelming response to ann curry's tweets to commit 26 acts of kindness. there's a couple of responses. loading up on 26 turkeys and hams to donate to the local food shelter. another woman tweets, i'm helping christmas happen for another mom. and on facebook, it includes a quote from mr. rodgers. when i was a boy and i'd see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, look for the helpers. will you always find people who are helping. to this day, especially in time of disaster, i remember my mother's words and i'm comforted by realizing there are still so many helpers, so many caring

people in the world." agency of going on the air at 10:00 this morning, that had been shared more than 89,000 times. eric, what are you seeing? >> there you see some good in social media. very good in social media. there is a way to constructively deliver a message that helps people, you know, in this very, very tragic time. and that is very positive. and somebody encouraged. and everybody should be involved in that way. >> eric, always good to have you. we'll be right back. yaver baum. aver baum.

behind me, you can see, just a small part of the memorial here downtown. there's some friends who are decorating a christmas tr. and i see people leaving candles right now. it's been nonstop. in fact, it's gotten so large, it's literally winding down the street. in fact, throughout this town, impromptu memorials have been marking the lives lost. one at the volunteer firehouse.

there's another one at the high school. each a reminder that the people of newtown are not alone. >> memorials have sprung up all around this town, but this is the one that so many people gravitate to downtown. it's where the town christmas tree is. a beautiful square here. and it started very small. and it started very simply. but now, day and night, whenever we come here, there are crowds of people. you can see what they have left everywhere you look. there are flowers. religious candles. people come here, we've seen people kneeling down in prayer. and the number of stuffed animals. there's a new york giants jersey on that bear. and there, you see, one of the young victims who was a huge giants fan. he's one of the first stories that came out, that olivia, one of the 6 years old was to have played an angel in the christmas pageant, a story that has been

told but never fails to break your heart. in some cases, people have brought are multiples of things. we saw 20 bears. all the same. one for each of the children who was here. and acknowledgements that these are not just from these immediate area. but people have been drawn here from other states. and there's media from literally all around the world. and the other way that people have been showing their support is to make signs. they are all over this community. here's one. a huge sheet with "god bless sandy hook." handmade, with honest emotions on a sign. just across the street from that, hanging from a window atop a local business "hug a teacher today." in many ways, these signs are visible signs of the love and care that people feel for what they've gone through here in newtown. for those who can't make it here, there are a lot of online

memorials set up by supporters on social media sites. there's one page on paib. "r.i.p." sandy hook elementary school children. it has more than 2 million likes. also with the goodness of the people who have outreached to this community and them telling me how much that has made a difference in this unspeakably sad time. that will wrap up this special edition of "jansing & company." i'm chris jansing. thomas roberts is up next. i always wait until the last minute. can i still ship a gift in time for christmas? yeah, sure you can. great. where's your gift? uh... whew. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. ship fedex express by december 22nd for christmas delivery. by december 22nd sfx- "sounds of african drum and flute" look who's back. again? it's embarrassing it's embarrassing! we can see you carl. we can totally see you.

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is bigger than we think ... sometimelike the flu.fer from with aches, fever and chills- the flu's a really big deal. so why treat it like it's a little cold? there's something that works differently than over-the-counter remedies. prescription tamiflu attacks the flu virus at its source. so don't wait. call your doctor right away. tamiflu is prescription medicine for treating the flu in adults and children one year and older whose flu symptoms started within the last two days. before taking tamiflu tell your doctor if you're pregnant, nursing. have serious health conditions, or take other medicines. if you develop an allergic reaction, a severe rash,

or signs of unusual behavior, stop taking tamiflu and call your doctor immediately. children and adolescents in particular may be at an increased risk of seizures, confusion or abnormal behavior. the most common side effects are mild to moderate nausea and vomiting. the flu comes on fast, so ask your doctor about tamiflu. prescription for flu. hi, everybody. good morning, i'm thomas roberts. topping the agenda today. first steps forward. most students in newtown are back in school today for the first time since their community's heartbreaking loss. all except the children of sandy hook elementary. an empty school in the